“The GOP has kind of become talk radio, an echo chamber where people are not interested in actually legislating or compromising or fixing America, just in screeching about how liberals have ruined it."
---Bill Maher, 11 April 2014.
Check out the whole video, folks, as it is an excellent summation of the Right today. There's also a mention of "voices in their heads" which I fond amusing.
Yet it was his brief mention of why conservatives bitch about people that don't work and yet still seem to have so much time during the day to listen to talk radio got me wondering. Don't they have jobs? It reminds me of this time I had to go downtown for a meeting. I parked my car in a underground ramp and when I got out, I could here Rush Limbaugh's voice blaring out of a car. Some dude was sitting in his car, staring straight ahead with an ultra angry look on his face, fervently glued to his radio and hanging on every word Rush said. What a miserable life that fellow must have had...
Saturday, April 12, 2014
The End of the Benghazi Mouthfoam
GOP Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, says he’s satisfied with how the US military and the Obama administration responded to the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans, including the US ambassador to Libya.The news also exonerates expected Democratic presidential nominee, and then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
“I think I’ve pretty well been satisfied that given where the troops were, how quickly the thing all happened and how quickly it dissipated, we probably couldn’t have done more than we did,” McKeon said to reporters today, as quoted by AP.
Will they finally leave it alone? Personally, I hope they keep talking about it for the next two years through both election cycles. Between their obsession with the ACA and the IRS, they are like this...
“I think I’ve pretty well been satisfied that given where the troops were, how quickly the thing all happened and how quickly it dissipated, we probably couldn’t have done more than we did,” McKeon said to reporters today, as quoted by AP.
Will they finally leave it alone? Personally, I hope they keep talking about it for the next two years through both election cycles. Between their obsession with the ACA and the IRS, they are like this...
The Only Health Care Nightmare? Pure Spite
Paul Krugman's recent piece on the Affordable Care Act pretty much sums everything up to current status. Some choice cuts...
But wait: What about all the people who lost their policies thanks to Obamacare? The answer is that this looks more than ever like a relatively small issue hyped by right-wing propaganda. RAND finds that fewer than a million people who previously had individual insurance became uninsured — and many of those transitions, one guesses, had nothing to do with Obamacare. It’s worth noting that, so far, not one of the supposed horror stories touted in Koch-backed anti-reform advertisements has stood up to scrutiny, suggesting that real horror stories are rare.
Rare indeed. So much so that you really don't here about them much except for in the right wing blogsphere with the sole intention of increasing mouth foam.
Republicans clearly have no idea how to respond to these developments. They can’t offer any real alternative to Obamacare, because you can’t achieve the good stuff in the Affordable Care Act, like coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, without also including the stuff they hate, the requirement that everyone buy insurance and the subsidies that make that requirement possible. Their political strategy has been to talk vaguely about replacing reform while waiting for its inevitable collapse. And what if reform doesn’t collapse? They have no idea what to do.
This is especially true since it was their idea to begin with!
What’s amazing about this wave of rejection is that it appears to be motivated by pure spite. The federal government is prepared to pay for Medicaid expansion, so it would cost the states nothing, and would, in fact, provide an inflow of dollars. The health economist Jonathan Gruber, one of the principal architects of health reform — and normally a very mild-mannered guy — recently summed it up: The Medicaid-rejection states “are willing to sacrifice billions of dollars of injections into their economy in order to punish poor people. It really is just almost awesome in its evilness.” Indeed.
Motivated by pure spite...one could extend that to pretty much every issue the Right whines about. They really don't have any there there...
Gruber's point really drives home how this issue ties into all the other ones that will part of this year's election. Last Wednesday, in a single committee meeting, Republicans voted against the Minimum Wage, Equal Pay, LGBT Rights, and Mine Safety. Add in a decided lack of movement on the immigration issue and the Republican party is pretty much the same one that ran behind Mitt Romney in 2012. Have they learned anything?
More importantly, do they honestly think voters aren't paying attention to this?
But wait: What about all the people who lost their policies thanks to Obamacare? The answer is that this looks more than ever like a relatively small issue hyped by right-wing propaganda. RAND finds that fewer than a million people who previously had individual insurance became uninsured — and many of those transitions, one guesses, had nothing to do with Obamacare. It’s worth noting that, so far, not one of the supposed horror stories touted in Koch-backed anti-reform advertisements has stood up to scrutiny, suggesting that real horror stories are rare.
Rare indeed. So much so that you really don't here about them much except for in the right wing blogsphere with the sole intention of increasing mouth foam.
Republicans clearly have no idea how to respond to these developments. They can’t offer any real alternative to Obamacare, because you can’t achieve the good stuff in the Affordable Care Act, like coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, without also including the stuff they hate, the requirement that everyone buy insurance and the subsidies that make that requirement possible. Their political strategy has been to talk vaguely about replacing reform while waiting for its inevitable collapse. And what if reform doesn’t collapse? They have no idea what to do.
This is especially true since it was their idea to begin with!
What’s amazing about this wave of rejection is that it appears to be motivated by pure spite. The federal government is prepared to pay for Medicaid expansion, so it would cost the states nothing, and would, in fact, provide an inflow of dollars. The health economist Jonathan Gruber, one of the principal architects of health reform — and normally a very mild-mannered guy — recently summed it up: The Medicaid-rejection states “are willing to sacrifice billions of dollars of injections into their economy in order to punish poor people. It really is just almost awesome in its evilness.” Indeed.
Motivated by pure spite...one could extend that to pretty much every issue the Right whines about. They really don't have any there there...
Gruber's point really drives home how this issue ties into all the other ones that will part of this year's election. Last Wednesday, in a single committee meeting, Republicans voted against the Minimum Wage, Equal Pay, LGBT Rights, and Mine Safety. Add in a decided lack of movement on the immigration issue and the Republican party is pretty much the same one that ran behind Mitt Romney in 2012. Have they learned anything?
More importantly, do they honestly think voters aren't paying attention to this?
Friday, April 11, 2014
Gun Shows Are Gun Free Zones?
From Ohio Gun, Knife, and Military Shows...
LOADED FIREARMS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE GUN SHOW PREMISES. EXHIBITORS AND PATRONS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE EACH FIREARM, REMOVE CLIPS AND BE POSITIVE THAT THE FIREARM IS NOT LOADED BEFORE ENTERING THE GUN SHOW PREMISES.
From Gunshow.net
Because attendees will be handling their weapons inside the show, we ask that for your safety, please ensure all clips and weapons are empty before entering the show. Double check inside the chamber of all weapons! Patrons who bring loaded clips or weapons into the show may be refused entry. Purchase your ticket, get your hand stamped, and then proceed to the Gun Check table. Always point your weapon in a safe direction (up or down) and never put your finger on the trigger. Remove all clips first and show the attendant that they are empty. Open the chamber on your weapons so the attendant can verify that the chambers are clear. If you do not know how to open your weapon please inform the attendant and they will assist you. Never try to operate a weapon you are not familiar with. Never try to reload your weapon while inside the show. You must be 18 or over to enter or be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You must be 21 or older to purchase, sell or handle a handgun and 18 or older to purchase, sell or handle a rifle or shotgun inside the show. No exceptions. Class 3 weapons must be accompanied with the proper documentation.
So, gun shows are actually gun free zones? Seems to me like my prediction about someone losing it at a gun show is even more possible than I thought with all these defenseless people. I do love the part about possibly not knowing how to open your weapon, though:)
LOADED FIREARMS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE GUN SHOW PREMISES. EXHIBITORS AND PATRONS ARE REQUIRED TO EXAMINE EACH FIREARM, REMOVE CLIPS AND BE POSITIVE THAT THE FIREARM IS NOT LOADED BEFORE ENTERING THE GUN SHOW PREMISES.
From Gunshow.net
Because attendees will be handling their weapons inside the show, we ask that for your safety, please ensure all clips and weapons are empty before entering the show. Double check inside the chamber of all weapons! Patrons who bring loaded clips or weapons into the show may be refused entry. Purchase your ticket, get your hand stamped, and then proceed to the Gun Check table. Always point your weapon in a safe direction (up or down) and never put your finger on the trigger. Remove all clips first and show the attendant that they are empty. Open the chamber on your weapons so the attendant can verify that the chambers are clear. If you do not know how to open your weapon please inform the attendant and they will assist you. Never try to operate a weapon you are not familiar with. Never try to reload your weapon while inside the show. You must be 18 or over to enter or be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You must be 21 or older to purchase, sell or handle a handgun and 18 or older to purchase, sell or handle a rifle or shotgun inside the show. No exceptions. Class 3 weapons must be accompanied with the proper documentation.
So, gun shows are actually gun free zones? Seems to me like my prediction about someone losing it at a gun show is even more possible than I thought with all these defenseless people. I do love the part about possibly not knowing how to open your weapon, though:)
Thursday, April 10, 2014
#CancelColbert Succeeds!
A few weeks ago one of the web guys for The Colbert Report posted a dumb Asian joke that flopped. That raised calls for the cancellation of The Colbert Report.
Well, now they will get their wish. The Colbert Report will be canceled because Steven Colbert will succeed David Letterman on the Late Show.
I've never been a big fan of the Colbert persona. Sure, he does some funny bits. But I'm so tired of bloviating right-wing egocentric nitwits like Bill O'Reilly, that even watching parodies of bloviating right-wing egocentric nitwits like Bill O'Reilly is tedious.
Some people are already mourning the end of Colbert's alter ego, but I for one will be glad to see him go. The Colbert character is a dead-on imitation of everything that is wrong with the likes of O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and, yes, Bill Maher.
O'Reilly and Fox News have had a long-standing feud with with Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. Whenever the comedians make fun of them Fox News hosts like O'Reilly feel the need to respond to Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Which means that Fox News' real competition isn't MSNBC or CNN. It's Comedy Central.
Well, now they will get their wish. The Colbert Report will be canceled because Steven Colbert will succeed David Letterman on the Late Show.
I've never been a big fan of the Colbert persona. Sure, he does some funny bits. But I'm so tired of bloviating right-wing egocentric nitwits like Bill O'Reilly, that even watching parodies of bloviating right-wing egocentric nitwits like Bill O'Reilly is tedious.
Some people are already mourning the end of Colbert's alter ego, but I for one will be glad to see him go. The Colbert character is a dead-on imitation of everything that is wrong with the likes of O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and, yes, Bill Maher.
O'Reilly and Fox News have had a long-standing feud with with Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. Whenever the comedians make fun of them Fox News hosts like O'Reilly feel the need to respond to Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Which means that Fox News' real competition isn't MSNBC or CNN. It's Comedy Central.
Yet Another Troubled Young Man
Alex Hribal went on a stabbing rampage yesterday at his high school in Murrsyville, Pennsylvania and sadly illustrated, once again, that we are failing the mental health of our nation's young men once again. I'm fairly certain that was more information comes to light we will discover that he had mental and emotional disabilities, was taking an SSRI, had divorced parents or a troubled home life, played violent video games, and had access to weapons.
Speaking of which, does anyone know if this school had a zero tolerance policy or not? I thought knives were just fine to carry around school, according to the Gun Cult. Well, at least this incident finally torpedoes the "good guy with a gun" lie as well as the "gun free zone" lie.
Assistant Principal Sam King finally tackled the boy and disarmed him, and a Murrysville police officer who is regularly assigned to the school handcuffed him, police said. In addition to the 22 stabbed or slashed, two people suffered other injuries, authorities said. The security guard, who was wounded after intervening early in the melee, was not seriously hurt.
So, there was a good guy with a gun, it was not a gun free zone, and someone with a "lesser" weapon did all that damage. Perhaps this problem of school violence is a lot more complicated than an 8 year old boy solution...
Speaking of which, does anyone know if this school had a zero tolerance policy or not? I thought knives were just fine to carry around school, according to the Gun Cult. Well, at least this incident finally torpedoes the "good guy with a gun" lie as well as the "gun free zone" lie.
Assistant Principal Sam King finally tackled the boy and disarmed him, and a Murrysville police officer who is regularly assigned to the school handcuffed him, police said. In addition to the 22 stabbed or slashed, two people suffered other injuries, authorities said. The security guard, who was wounded after intervening early in the melee, was not seriously hurt.
So, there was a good guy with a gun, it was not a gun free zone, and someone with a "lesser" weapon did all that damage. Perhaps this problem of school violence is a lot more complicated than an 8 year old boy solution...
An Act Of Love
Here is a longer version of the Jeb Bush comments on immigration which I think is more insightful.
Interesting to note that 40 percent of illegal immigrants are simply staying past their work visas. That makes the "secure the border" mouth foamers really seem like idiots. Wait, they are idiots...what am I saying? Take a look at the description below the video (appeal to fear) and some of the comments below this video on YouTube. Voices in my head indeed...
Interesting to note that 40 percent of illegal immigrants are simply staying past their work visas. That makes the "secure the border" mouth foamers really seem like idiots. Wait, they are idiots...what am I saying? Take a look at the description below the video (appeal to fear) and some of the comments below this video on YouTube. Voices in my head indeed...
Not Racist?
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
Our Version of Sharia Law=Good
Mississippi Approves Religious Freedom Bill, Governor Signs It Into Law
Hmm...let's see...their Sharia Law=BAD but our Sharia Law=GOOD. Got it!
Hmm...let's see...their Sharia Law=BAD but our Sharia Law=GOOD. Got it!
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Rule of Law Matters?
Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, speaking on Jeb Bush's recent remarks on immigration, said the following.
We’re a nation of immigrants, we need to celebrate that, but at the same time, rule of law matters.
Oh, really? Does that include the 16th amendment to the Constitution? Or are we going to stomp our feet and complain like a grump eight year old about force and fruits of labor?
Perhaps they should ignore reality (something they do so well) keep pretending that President Obama won't enforce immigration laws in a thinly veiled attempt to mask their own prejudice.
We’re a nation of immigrants, we need to celebrate that, but at the same time, rule of law matters.
Oh, really? Does that include the 16th amendment to the Constitution? Or are we going to stomp our feet and complain like a grump eight year old about force and fruits of labor?
Perhaps they should ignore reality (something they do so well) keep pretending that President Obama won't enforce immigration laws in a thinly veiled attempt to mask their own prejudice.
Kentucky Cuts Uninsured By 40%
The Affordable Care Act has cut Kentucky's uninsured population by more than 40 percent, signing up roughly 360,000 residents since enrollment opened up on Oct. 1. Some 75 percent of them -- 270,000 -- were previously uninsured. That means Kentucky's uninsured population of 640,000 has come down by 42 percent.
And the Democrats want to run away from this? I think we are going to see a whole lot of about faces over the next few months when candidates realize just how many voters are better off as a result of the ACA.
And the Democrats want to run away from this? I think we are going to see a whole lot of about faces over the next few months when candidates realize just how many voters are better off as a result of the ACA.
Monday, April 07, 2014
The Fort Hood Shooter Was Just Another Gun-Toting Hothead
Investigators now believe that the most recent shooting at Fort Hood was not due to mental illness, but rather an argument over the denial of leave requested by the shooter, Ivan Lopez.
That makes this shooting no different than the run-of-the-mill gun violence on the streets and in our homes. One person feels aggrieved and seeks to even the score with a gun. Some will still argue that PTSD or mental illness had a role, but since such shootings are so common among people who have no record of either condition, no such case can be made.
The real problem is that people like Lopez believe that violence is their first recourse whenever they feel angry or threatened. In other words, this guy was just a hothead with easy access to guns.
The NRA will probably try to spin Lopez as a man who was pushed to the brink by an unreasonable military bureaucracy that wouldn't give him enough time to attend to his mother's death. But it is the attitude that shooting people is a perfectly reasonable thing to do that's the cause of these deaths. The attitude espoused by the NRA.
In other words, Lopez was simply cut from the cloth as George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn.
That makes this shooting no different than the run-of-the-mill gun violence on the streets and in our homes. One person feels aggrieved and seeks to even the score with a gun. Some will still argue that PTSD or mental illness had a role, but since such shootings are so common among people who have no record of either condition, no such case can be made.
The real problem is that people like Lopez believe that violence is their first recourse whenever they feel angry or threatened. In other words, this guy was just a hothead with easy access to guns.
The NRA will probably try to spin Lopez as a man who was pushed to the brink by an unreasonable military bureaucracy that wouldn't give him enough time to attend to his mother's death. But it is the attitude that shooting people is a perfectly reasonable thing to do that's the cause of these deaths. The attitude espoused by the NRA.
In other words, Lopez was simply cut from the cloth as George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn.
Stupid People Want to Start a War with Russia
I'm always rather cynical about poll results, but this one was pretty funny: the less people know about where Ukraine is, the more they want to start a war with Russia.
On March 28-31, 2014, we asked a national sample of 2,066 Americans (fielded via Survey Sampling International Inc. (SSI), what action they wanted the U.S. to take in Ukraine, but with a twist: In addition to measuring standard demographic characteristics and general foreign policy attitudes, we also asked our survey respondents to locate Ukraine on a map as part of a larger, ongoing project to study foreign policy knowledge. We wanted to see where Americans think Ukraine is and to learn if this knowledge (or lack thereof) is related to their foreign policy views. We found that only one out of six Americans can find Ukraine on a map, and that this lack of knowledge is related to preferences: The farther their guesses were from Ukraine’s actual location, the more they wanted the U.S. to intervene with military force.I wonder how it correlates with how much Fox News they watch?
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